1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the prevention of micronutrient deficiencies that are associated with common disabilities in adults which are 50 years of age or older. In particular, the present invention relates to dosage units which are suitable for preventing micronutrient deficiencies which cause or at least contribute to common disabilities in adults which are 50 years of age or older.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Results published by reputable scientific research organizations suggest that ingestion of many essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) by people over 50 years of age must be substantially increased over the amounts suitable for younger populations because of the relative lack of absorption and/or utilization of these essential nutrients by the aging human.
In many cases this relative lack of absorption or utilization of these critical nutrients is made even worse by inadequate availability of these nutrients in the average diet of people younger than 50 years of age. In other words, not only do many if not most people reach the age of 50 with one or more essential nutrients lacking in their diet, but this omission is aggravated by their increasing need for substantially more than is required for younger adults.
The consequences of these facts are serious. Deficiencies in micronutrients are starkly evident in virtually all of the common disabilities associated with the aging human: cognitive dysfunction ranging from mild memory loss to Alzheimer's; vision problems ranging from poor eyesight to blindness; arthritis; osteoporosis; cancer; cardiovascular disease; depression and inordinate weakness and fatigue; immune dysfunction; metabolic syndrome; muscle weakness and pain, to name but a few.
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, limiting the activities of nearly 19 million adults. And because people are living longer, the incidence of arthritis is projected by the Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center to increase at much more rapid a rate than the rate of the increase of the population. According to this Agency, by the year 2030, the number of people with doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation will increase 34% in 50 states; increase of from 50% to 99% in 10 states; and more than a million new people will be affected each in Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, mainly characterized by inflammation of the lining, or synovium, of the joints. It can lead to long-term joint damage, resulting in chronic pain, loss of function and disability
Osteopenia is defined as low bone density. Two metabolic bone diseases decrease bone mass: osteoporosis and osteomalacia. In osteoporosis, there is a decrease in bone mass with a normal ratio of bone mineral to bone matrix. In osteomalacia, the ratio of bone mineral to bone matrix is low. With osteoporosis there is an increased likelihood of fractures. The most common fractures associated with osteoporosis are fractures of the hip, fractures near the wrist and fractures of the bones of the spine.
According to a 2004 statement of the U.S. Surgeon General, no less than 10 million Americans over age 50 have osteoporosis, the most common bone disease. 34 million Americans are at risk with osteopenia. 300,000 hospitalizations occur each year due to hip fractures. 1.5 million people each year suffer a fracture from osteoporosis. 1 out of every 2 women over age 50 will have an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime, with risks increasing with age. Osteoporosis can occur in men as well; 6% of white men over age 50 will suffer a hip fracture.
Bone density naturally declines with age. By definition, 16% of young white women (one out of six) have osteopenia. By age 65 years about half of the women in the USA will have either osteopenia or osteoporosis, and by age 80 almost all women have had some bone loss and bone density will show either osteopenia or osteoporosis. Sustaining a hip fracture is one of the most serious consequences of osteoporosis. Nearly one third of those who sustain osteoporotic hip fractures enter nursing homes within the year following the fracture, and one person in five dies within one year of experiencing an osteoporotic hip fracture. [National Institutes of Health. Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy. NIH Consensus Statement. 2000; 17(1):1-36.]
Cardiovascular disease involves any disorder of the heart and blood vessels that make up the cardiovascular system. While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system, it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis (arterial disease). These conditions have similar causes, mechanisms, and treatments. Coronary heart disease occurs when blood vessels which supply the heart become clogged or blocked, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Vascular damage can also occur to blood vessels supplying the brain, and can result in a stroke. Diseases of the heart alone cause 30% of all deaths, with other diseases of the cardiovascular system causing substantial further death and disability. It is the number 1 cause of death and disability in the United States and most European countries.
A 2001 study of cognitive impairment in the elderly found that this condition may affect a significant proportion of older people. The research, which looked at cognitive difficulties falling short of Alzheimer's disease or dementia among community-dwelling residents found that nearly one in four had measurable cognitive problems. In addition, prevalence increased with age, the study finding that 38 percent of people age 85 and older had some degree of cognitive impairment short of dementia.
In addition, the U.S. National Institute on Aging estimated that up to 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's Disease [AD]. The disease usually begins after age 60, and risk goes up with age. About 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have AD, and nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease. AD is a slow disease, starting with mild memory problems and ending with severe brain damage. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person. On average, AD patients live from 8 to 10 years after they are diagnosed, though the disease can last for as many as 20 years.
In any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 20.9 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. [Robins L N, Regier D A (Eds). Psychiatric Disorders in America, The Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study, 1990; New York: The Free Press.] Symptoms of depression include decreased energy, fatigue, and changes in mood. The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them.
One of the major factors in failing human performance as a result of aging is the gradual weakening of the immune function. This loss is reflected in mortality figures that places death by pneumonia, chronic respiratory diseases, and certain infectious diseases as the 5th cause of death in the general population over the age of 85. [National Center for Health Statistics, Data Warehouse on Trends in Health and Aging, 2007.]
Obesity is increasing rapidly throughout the world, and the incidence of obesity has nearly doubled form 1991 to 1998. [WebMD Daily, Sep. 7, 2007]. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. One in three Americans is obese. Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration; it is a dire health dilemma directly harmful to one's health. In the United States, roughly 300,000 deaths per year are directly related to obesity.
Obesity also increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including: insulin resistance, type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), stroke (cerebrovascular accident or CVA), heart attack, congestive heart failure, cancer, gallstones, gout and gouty arthritis, osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back, sleep apnea and pickwickian syndrome (obesity, red face, underventilation, and drowsiness).
Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or easily repair the resulting damage. All forms of life maintain a reducing environment within their cells. This reducing environment is preserved by enzymes that maintain the reduced state through a constant input of metabolic energy. Disturbances in this normal redox state can cause toxic effects through the production of peroxides and free radicals that damage all components of the cell, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. In humans, oxidative stress is involved in many diseases, such as atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease and is believed to be important in ageing.
Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease and is the leading cause of blindness for those aged 55 and older in the United States, affecting more than 10 million Americans. Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina's central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail. As people age their chances of developing eye diseases increase dramatically. Since many people diagnosed with macular degeneration are over age 55, the number of cases of macular degeneration in the U.S. will increase significantly as baby boomers age.
Hidden amongst the massive data available from reputable scientific research organizations on the critical role of vitamins and minerals in alleviating and even preventing most of the disabilities associated with human aging is the fact that interactions between many if not all of these micronutrients play an important role in the prevention or amelioration of most of the disabilities with which the elderly are commonly afflicted. In other words, without the proper ratios of these interactive micronutrients, one essential micronutrient (e.g., vitamin or mineral) that may be adequately supplied in the diet or by supplementation in the adult may fail to function properly because there is a deficiency of another micronutrient that the former micronutrient needs to fulfill its role.